Elder Scrolls gamers flock to 87% rated cheap RPG hailed as 'the next Oblivion'

Another certified Steam banger is here, and while the gaming storefront is full to bursting with games inspired by The Elder Scrolls, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is causing more of a stir than usual.

Bethesda is hard at work on The Elder Scrolls VI, and much like how the success of GTA V means we've had to wait an eternity for GTA VI, the constant dusting off and repackaging of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim makes it feel like the developer is hardly in a rush to get the next title out.

Although we've been fed by the odd morsel like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered in 2025, a lot of our love of The Elder Scrolls is left to fan expansions and the many (many) games inspired by this world.

This is where The Lantern of the Laughless Saint comes in, as a Steam-topping RPG that's being praised as the next Oblivion.

The Lantern of the Laughless Saint takes over Steam

NerveLabs

Wearing its inspiration on its sleeve, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint says it's inspired by The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, with players waking up on an isolated island that lies in the shadow of a silent tower.

You know you're lured there by a shared dream, but apart from that, your journey is forgotten. The open-world RPG builds its story around exploration and connection in either co-op or going it alone.

By walking the island, following rumours, and reading the odd scraps of burned history, you're supposed to slowly piece things together while meeting the lost souls who are doomed to wander this feverish dreamscape.

With The Lantern of the Laughless Saint looking like a proper weirdfest, those who are easily spooked are likely glad that it's fully playable in co-op.

The trailer shows off just some of the weird and wonderful characters out there in the realm, with the developers hyping a giant toad learning to read, an ancient skeleton who just wants to swim, and a musician from a faraway land who's trying to serenade us.

We're told that those you befriend will join an empty theatre as an audience there to cheer you along, but cross someone, and they'll also be in the auditorium...with an altogether more sinister motive.

Importantly, the decisions that you and your troupe make will directly shape the world around you.

There's a bizarre caveat that you might come across some exposed breasts if you steal an NPC's outfit, although there's apparently no genitalia.

READ MORE: 17 games like Skyrim to play while we wait for The Elder Scrolls 6

What are fans saying about The Lantern of the Laughless Saint?

The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is currently available in early access and costs just £17.75/$19.99 on Steam, meaning it's some way cheaper than Oblivion Remastered. It's a bit more than Morrowind's Game of the Year edition, but with a 2026 game inspired by a classic Elder Scrolls adventure, we'll take it.

More than just managing to avoid breaking the bank, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint currently has 88% positive reviews out of a total of 991 (at the time of writing).

One fan cheered: "There's a darkness and a weirdness to this game that I haven't seen since Morrowind. Other games like Tainted Grail and Avowed have tried to do something similar, but there's something about this game that I find especially interesting."

Putting Bethesda's Todd Howard in their sights, another added: "Todd SHIVERS at the thought of another dev team making The Next Skyrim before them. Is this the next Skyrim? Naw. Is it the next Oblivion? I dare say it is. If this dev decides the next game they want to make IS The Next Skyrim, honestly I have faith they can do it, AND do it before the actual Elder Scrolls 6 comes out. No pressure guys, you got until 2045 to beat Todd to it."

Imploring you to try it for yourself, a third concluded: "Indie Morrowind/Oblivion for better and for worse. I'd compare this to Tainted Grail. Both are recreations of the Bethesda formula but doing it an enticing way. This game leans more into the old-school vibe while also maintaining enough QOL and modern features to still be an enjoyable journey."